Life, knitting and sewing with a dash of vintage flair.

January 26, 2006

I apologize for the incredibly bad photo, but it was taken with my cell phone through a store window at night. It was just destined to come out bad. The photo is of an antique yarn winder that is on display in an antique store window I have to pass by every day on my walk to the train station. If you look carefully there are three bobbin like pegs on the top of three spokes that are adjustable. I'm guessing that the top unit spins, and it actually a type of swift.

I walk by it every day and covet it a little bit. The first time I noticed it I stopped and thought to myself "Gee, that looks like some kind of yarn related apparatus." (Well it was something like that at any rate). Sure enough there was a little price tag hanging from it that said "Yarn Winder $145." Needless to say the price will keep it from being mine, as well as the fact that the color of wood won't go with anything in my place as well as the fact that there is no where in my little condo to put it. Still I walk every day and wish a bit.

January 24, 2006

My mind is really starting to mess with me. I'm getting a tad bit delusional lately. It must be because of the screwy weather we are having in Connecticut this winter. Saturday temps were in the 50's, and today they are going down into single digets. It's messing with my head.

Nothing demonstrates this more than the fact that I am so how trying to convince myself that I can get two baby blankets knocked out before I start the Olympic challenge. What in the world is wrong with me?! I can't knit fast to save my life.

I just found out that friends of mine who have been trying to adopt, finally (and very suddenly) brought home a beautiful 3 month old baby boy. I'd like to be able to give their new addition something handknit, and was thinking a baby blanket would be a great idea.

The second baby hasn't arrived yet, but is due in March. (The shower is next month). My best friend from kindergarten is expecting her first child, a little baby girl. I actually have this Anouk -

tucked away, as the friend I had originally made it for had a boy. Why I have an urge to start a blanket is beyond me!

I need to go and catch my train and rest my brain a bit. It's obviously a bit overworked.

January 23, 2006

Somebody really needs to take my credit cards away from me now. I'm amazed at how much I spent in a matter of two days this weekend.

It started off innocently enough with the purchase of some make-up on Friday afternoon on my lunch hour. A few weeks ago I had tried some Laura Mercier makeup and fell in love with it. I was actually able to find a color that wasn't too dark for my milky white complexion. All I wanted to pick up was some concealer. After the salesgirl did a demo on me I ended up with the concealer, as well as two more things. I am such a sucker. The stuff works great, but it's just too expensive.

Luckily that night I went to my parents house to play with the nieces who were down spending the night. DN1's new thing is that she is never getting married when she becomes a princess. She wants to house to herself so that she can do whatever she wants. (Like her Aunt Chris). She's dead set on this. The rest of us find it kind of funny.

Saturday was my downfall I spent more money that I had planned on at Target on household basics like toilet paper and contact lens cleaner, as well as picking up some resistance training bands and a workout dvd for the fitness ball that my parents gave me. It kind of added up before I knew it.

Then a quick stop at DSW Shoe Warehouse to find a new pair of cheap sneakers ended up with me walking out the door with three pairs of shoes. (In my defense on this one they were all from the clearance section, one pair was the sneakers I needed and one pair was only $3.98.) I was just too excited to find shoes that actually fit my horrible wide feet. There were two other pairs that I had to step away from and leave, because I had absolutely nothing to wear them with. The temptation of stylish shoes that fit was very tempting though. (Those of you with wide feet I'm sure will understand.)

A quick trip to pick up a concealer brush (to use with the makeup purchased the day before) set me back another couple dollars before I topped it all off with a trip to put gas in my car and buy grocerys. I'm still waiting for the grocery bill on my new diet to even out, but it's still setting me back about $60. The killer there was the Mahi Mahi fillet I'm going to attempt to cook. Never have cooked any fish before, but I really want to start adding it to my diet. (Mahi Mahi is one of the few fish that I know that I like.)

I'm cut off until my next pay period that's for sure. My day was made when my gas bill was waiting for me at home and it was for $100. Eek! I know that to many people that doesn't sound like much, but for the amount of time I'm at home and that I allow myself to turn on the heat it's alot.

Oh...in good news I've worked up to starting the third color on Charlotte. I'm enjoying this knit even more the second time around. Pictures soon I promise.

January 20, 2006

I will admit it I was getting a good laugh at everyone gearing up for Stephanie'sknitting Olympics. To myself I was thinking - what a bunch of crazy people to try to knit something in 16 days. What foolishness!

But then I thought about it. Hmmm maybe not such a bad idea. There must be something I can knit up in 16 days. I'm not that horribly slow. So I caved.

I'm throwing myself into a little healthy competition. My knitting could use a swift kick in the pants lately. My temporary boredom has made me into a lazy, flabby knitter. A bit of some Charlotte knitting and I feel all revitalized.

But what to knit? If I hadn't already started Charlotte number 2 it would have been a good attempt. I thought about doing making a lace shawl with some handpainted Zephyr that's sitting in my stash, but I haven't found the right pattern for it yet. Such difficulties! I finally decieded on knitting the sleeves for my Vogue sweater. This project:

I've actually knit up to about halfway up the armholes on this front piece. I just haven't had the chance to update my photos. I know it's not as ambitious as an entire sweater, but it's a stretch for me. If you read here regularly you know how long it took me to knit those sleeves for the Harry Potter sweater. (And that was only a size 4T sweater.) I'm hoping this little challenge to myself keeps me moving with these sleeves. I just need to order another set of swallow caseins for them though. I shattered the size I need for the cuffs a few weeks back when I was knitting in the freezing weather. I'd like to use the same kind of needles for the entire project.

In case I fail at my quest for Olympic Gold maybe I should just joing along with Margene and the Eddie the Eagle along. I think this is where I belong!

January 19, 2006

Why? Because I finally finished those sleeves that's why. I felt like throwing a party or something to celebrate. They were slowly draining my love for knitting out of me the boredom of knitting them was so severe.

No pictures yet as I still need to peace them together, but at least they are all done. Of course had I finished piecing yesterday I could have given the sweaters to my nieces when I see them tomorrow. It will just have to wait though.

After finally finishing them I just wanted to start knitting something new. Anything new, it just had to be something other than stockinette stitch. I could have picked up my Vogue sweater, and probably should have as I am very close to finishing the front of the sweater. (Of course the very last thing I want to start right now is more sleeves!) I was meeting with the ladies I had taken my knitting class with that night and I had to find something to work on. My step above sock also seems to be lost in the abyss I call my bedroom closet.

So what to do, I tore through my stash and finally decieded to start a second Charlotte. I had the yarn for it, and I've been wanting to make a second one for awhile now. I love mine, but as it's in shades of brown it doesn't always go with as many things as I would like it to. This one is going to be in shades of blue with hints of purples and green. I'm hoping the colors will look okay together. I started it last night and am already into the non-blended section of the second color.

My love of knitting is coming back to me. I guess all I needed was a little lace knitting!

January 12, 2006

That's my younger niece feeling very stylish in her cat ears and heels (with some kind of a wand thing of course, who goes out without a wand.) My older neice is in the back displaying her fashionable Snow White wear along with her new glasses. (She's inheirited her father's Amblyopia). They just make me laugh, they adore their dress up clothes so much. I love getting into work and finding goodies like this in my email. With nieces this stylish I shouldn't stress to much over their sweaters. Obviously they have good taste. They are bound to love them.

Actually got a few rows done yesterday. Still need to knit to many still.

January 11, 2006

I've been hiding out from posting because I haven't really got any more done on my Harry Potter sweater and I've been feeling guilty about it. I'm finding myself so bored with the project that I'm finding any and every excuse to do something else other than knit. I've even taken to cleaning out closets. I might need to pick something else up just to break myself out of this funk. I swear it's not like I have that much left to go - just about 4 cms on the sleeves, but it feels like about 4 ft. If I would just sit my butt down and work on it I could get it done in just a day or so. Heck I finished two fronts, two backs and two sleeves in less time than it's taking me to finish these last sleeves.

Kate posted today that she was looking into airline tickets for the Maryland Sheep and Wool festival today. I know I can't afford any big vacations today because of all the money I have to shell out for dental work, but I think I'm going to look into the festival this year. Now that I have a real car again I can drive down. Hmmm ... maybe I can distract myself with looking into plans for that tonight.

Not much else is new. I've been missing the nieces and stressing out about the money for the dentist, but what else is new? The one postive thing that I've started this year has been a diet. It's only day 2 but so far so good. No cheating at all. I haven't been hungry, but I'm still craving things that I shouldn't have - like Reeses Peanut Butter cups. I started a separate blog - Size 8 or Bust! - to hash out my thoughts on the weight loss battle so feel free to stop in and commiserate or just say hi. I just needed a way for me to write my thoughts out as I'm going through this, and I didn't want to clutter up my knitting blog with it.

January 06, 2006

Before I launch into my New Year's Opportunities I just wanted to let all of you know - yes I am still employed at my part time job. Everyone has been asking. The head boss gave me the day off once I managed to track him down and talk to him. I think I'm going to have to give up my part time job before next year though. At the moment I work at a 5 screen theater. Come March 3rd we are closing and moving to a new location at the local mall were will have 14 screens. We are not guaranteed to get a job at the new location, but I haven't heard if my request for transfer has been accepted. I won't be the girl with the seniority any longer once we move. Hopefully I'll be able to make it through the summer and early fall at any rate.

As for my New Year's Opportunities. I hate making resolutions. They always feel way too binding and I always end up failing at them right off the bat. The term opportunities comes from my 7th grade drafting teacher. He never used the term "test", he used the term opportunitiy. He was giving us the "opportunity" to prove to him that we were intelligent human beings that were worthy of being in his class. I always loved this way of looking at things. (He also named his garbage can Ethel, but I digress.)

I try to look at the begining of the New Year as my opportunity to try new things, and to better my life in new ways. I may fail, or succeed as long as I take the opportunity to try. So here after all that boring exposition are my new opportunities for 2006.

Knitting Opportunities

Work on color work. I tried fair isle knitting last year, but now I just need to perfect my skills. (alot)

Learn to use my drop spindle. My LYS is offering classes in this, maybe sign up if I can swing the money.

Try Kool-Aid dying. Just seems like it may be fun.

Learn to knit continental. (Just because)

Go on a yarn diet. With my dental bills and car repairs looming I don't have much of a choice on this one, but I do have plenty of yarn to hold me over. I will however allow a few more balls of the Rowan Classic yarn that I need to make Eris, as well as some Kidsilk Haze to make a shawl if needed.

General Opportunities

Learn how to sell items on Ebay so I can finance my much desired ipod. If I can sell enough for it, I can buy it. Otherwise forget it.

Continue to avoid Wal-Mart

Start working on my Geneaology again. Now that I have a decent car I'll be to drive up to Massachusetts to do some of the research that had been tying me up.

Read more.

Personal Opportunities

Put my clothes away immediately after washing and drying. (I don't know why I have such a hard time hanging things up, but I'm terribly lazy about it.)

Make my bed everyday. (Same as above)

Take trash bags out to dumpster at least once a week. (Are you picking up on the fact that I can be awfully lazy yet?)

Get more physical activity/eat healthier

Make and follow through with making doctors appointments that I've been putting off for ages now. To be included: A. Dermatologist - for general skin review of beauty marks (or as DN1 calls them - my pizzas.) B. Regular doctor - for a plain old physical. c. GYN

That should do it. (I should hope so!) So far I'm off to a pretty good start. I've made my bed every day but once. (And I was really sick yesterday in my own defense.) I just need to put the effort in.

January 03, 2006

My new year really was off to a good start. New Years eve I had dinner at Outback with my parents, then spent the rest of the night quietly knitting and watching TV. New Years day I had to work at the theater, but it was relatively quiet. I spent the night begining to take down my Christmas decorations. Yesterday I wiled away the hours of my extra day off watching TLC's What Not to Wear marathon, before putting myself to some good use. I went and cleaned up my disaster area basement and packed up nearly all of my Christmas decorations.

I was feeling good and productive and hopeful. Then today hit. I should have taken it as a sign this morning when I overslept and had to pay in the parking lot next to the train station just to catch my normal train. (Or maybe I should have taken the wet sloppy snow this morning as a sign.) I had been at work for all of an hour when I got a call from my dentist. I was thinking it was just a nice little follow up call and reminder of my upcoming appointment for my crown. Nope. It seems they found something on the x-rays they took after my root canal last month. They found another tooth that desperately needs a root canal.

I wanted to cry really I did. I don't know where in the world I am going to come up with the money for this anymore. The insurance will cover most of this second root canal as it's a new year, but that still leaves me with two crowns to pay for now for the mere sum of about $2000. We won't even stop and think about the car repairs I'm still paying off from last year. The woman I spoke with is going to send me some payment options to look over. Wonderful. I really can't take much more of this. I like to think I make a decent living, but I'm barely making paycheck to paycheck sometimes. I don't understand what I'm doing wrong.

Anyways I was looking back at my "opportunities" from New Years last January. How'd I do?